INREC Participates in Iowa Corn Panel During Farm Progress Show

Visitor friendly weather helped draw a crowd to the Iowa Corn panel discussion on conservation at the 2016 Farm Progress Show in rural Boone. Iowa Corn held a three day water quality panel on August 30 - September 1. Environmental Technology Director Shawn Richmond represented the Iowa Nutrient Research and Education Council (INREC) during the discussion on Wednesday. Richmond discussed topics that related to soil and water conservation, including the importance of on-farm conservation adoption and water quality education.

A crowd gathers in the Iowa Corn tent at the Farm Progress show on Wednesday, August 31. Drawn in by the offer of free ice cream and stayed for the discussion on water quality efforts in the state of Iowa. With almost a full tent, panelists discussed how they got started in water quality and conservation efforts. Ben Nuelle, Iowa Agribusiness Radio Network (upper left), moderated the Wednesday session. Panelists shared their personal experiences with water quality and answered questions from the crowd.

At the 2016 Farm Progress Show visitors were able to pick up a copy of the latest Nutrient Reduction Strategy (NRS) brochure. "Farmers should look at the list of practices in the NRS and view it as a menu of their options to see what might fit into their operation. It shouldn't be viewed as a to-do list that they need to check off everything on." says Richmond.

Richmond explains the importance of being able to measure the progress that agriculture has been making on conservation efforts including water quality. It is not only needed but necessary to track progress but to then show that progress in a meaningful way. "It's critical that we have the means to document and demonstrate the progress being made by Iowa farmers to reduce nutrient losses. The INREC progress measurement system will allow us the ability to do that and show the progress that has been made in the past as well as going forward." says Richmond.

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Missions

Collaborate with agronomy retailers, CCAs, and ISU scientists to develop and pioneer a first-of-its-kind progress measurement system using retailer and CCA farm records to track environmental progress being made by Iowa farmers, while maintaining confidentiality and security of individual farmers’ information.

Tap into the huge role that retailers and CCAs play in advising Iowa farmers by providing increased outreach and training to help with advising farmer decisions regarding environmental technologies and practices.

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About INREC

INREC is the only organization in Iowa that brings private agronomic industry together, in a formal organization with Iowa Farm Organizations and Agriculture Commodity Associations, to determine how best to collaborate for the purpose of implementing the NRS.